Expo & Showcase 2020
Bail & Bonds Exposition and Showcase
(August 25-26, 2020)
Part of the C3 Initiative
Building on the success of last year’s Fines & Fees Exposition and Showcase, this 12-hour virtual event will take a similar deep dive into the subject of bail and bonds. Part retrospective, part preview, an examination of both big ideas and best practices, the TMCEC Bail & Bonds Exposition and Showcase, August 25-26, 2020, will feature a unique blend of new presentations and topics with some of TMCEC’s highest rated presenters from throughout the State of Texas. Utilizing cutting edge technology, TMCEC will bring this live, synchronous event to you virtually.
In Texas, the right to bail is rooted in its constitution, making Texas one of forty-one “right-to-bail states.” Subject to few limitations, Texas strongly favors the individual’s right to bail. In recent years, bail attracted increasing scrutiny, particularly in the context of pre-trial bail. Criminal justice reform advocates claim that “money bail”—practices requiring defendants to pay money to procure release via either a bail bond (where money is paid to a surety) or cash bond (where money is deposited with the government)—disproportionately hurts many low-income defendants who, while presumed innocent, cannot afford to pay to secure their release from jail. As a result, Texas jails are overcrowded, and public officials are taking notice.
The Exposition and Showcase is a special TMCEC event. It is part of the C3 Initiative. C3 (Councils, Courts, and Cities) is a public information and education campaign created by the Texas Municipal Courts Education Center to help fill the information gap between city halls and municipal courts in Texas. Click here for the event brochure.
The public increasingly depends on city officials and employees to understand key issues pertaining to the law. The Exposition and Showcase is a rare opportunity for mayors, city council members, and other municipal officials and employees to sit side-by-side with judges, court support staff, and other members of the courtroom workgroup and gain insight, awareness, and understanding of important issues in Texas municipal courts.
Space for this event is limited. Judges seeking to complete their mandatory judicial education hours will be given priority in enrollment. Participants may also attend to earn clerk certification hours or obtain CLE. Because this event is funded with public money, all participants are expected to attend the event in its entirety.
There is no registration fee for eligible TMCEC constituents (i.e., judges, clerks, court administrators, and city attorneys). The fee for participants seeking CLE is $100. The registration fee for C3 guests (i.e., mayors, city council members, city officials, and municipal employees who register to attend with an eligible TMCEC constituent) is $10.
C3 guests are not eligible for online registration but may register by calling 800-252-3718. TMCEC constituents eligible for this event may register online.